NHL division previews: 2017-18 Pacific Division

6th in 2017-18 Pacific Division – Vancouver Canucks

Picking the bottom three for the Pacific was a no-brainer, but in what order was a bit more difficult. As said before, it would be very surprising to see Vegas finish above anyone in their first season, but stranger things have happened.

The Canucks are in for another tough season, and they aren’t going to come anywhere near the playoffs. This isn’t some kind of revelation, as just about everyone expects them to struggle yet again. There are a few bright notes on an otherwise dismal outlook.

The first is Bo Horvat, who is undeniably the best offensive talent that the Canucks currently have. The 22-year-old had a great season last year as he hit the 20-goal mark for the first time and improved on his point total yet again, racking up 52 points in 81 games. His advanced numbers have seen a small uptick as well, with his CF% last season moving up to 47.55, the best in his career.

While that 47.55 CF% isn’t fantastic, it can also be contributed to the play of his team as well, which hasn’t been good. His 1.019 PDO points to the fact that his season wasn’t based entirely on luck, and the improvement of his offensive zone face-off percentage to 46.47 should see improvement again this season, likely resulting in a small increase in his point total.

The rest of the forward corps is filled with aging veterans like Daniel and Henrik Sedin and Loui Eriksson. They are accompanied by a decent mixture of young talent that has come through the system in Brock Boeser and the hopeful (finally) emergence of Jake Virtanen as a fourth line forward.

The back-end for the Canucks isn’t the worst in the league by any means, but they’re also nothing to brag about. The top six will likely be a mixture of Alex Edler, Troy Stecher, Ben Hutton, Chris Tanev, Erik Gudbranson and Michael Del Zotto. This is a serviceable group, and one that would’ve been a lot stronger if it wasn’t for the departure of Nikita Tryamkin back to the KHL.

In between the pipes is Jacob Markstrom. He has waited in the wings for some time now, and he’s finally getting his chance. While his numbers haven’t been eye-popping, he has proven to be a solid back up goaltender. The question is whether he can translate that and become a solid starter like many believe him to be.

Player to watch in 2017-18: Brock Boeser. Boeser is a very exciting offensive talent coming out of the Canucks prospect pipeline. He should see time in the top six this season, and Canucks fans will be hoping he can be a long-term linemate for the likes of Horvat, ushering in a new era of Vancouver hockey.